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Tuesday, February 13, 2018

Rotherham Council is developing plans to provide new tennis courts and increase car parking spaces at Clifton Park.

The Council is working with the Lawn Tennis Association and Sport England to fund, subject to planning consent, five new floodlit tennis courts on the site of the old bowling greens, which have not been used for a number of years due to previous budget cuts.

Car parking will also be increased by extending the museum car park onto the existing tennis courts as part of the same scheme.

Damien Wilson, Strategic Director for Regeneration and Environment at Rotherham Council, said: "These improvements will increase opportunities for people to play more sports and, as our new improved courts will be flood-lit, people will be able to play for longer in the evenings, in a safe environment.

The council's capital programme for 2018/19 has a capitalisation of £121,000 set aside for Clifton Park car parking and tennis courts with the money set to come from income generation.

The Council has been communicating with Moorgate Tennis Club and other users of Clifton Park to try and ensure that, where possible, the Council can meet their short term needs at some of the borough's other parks for the short period the renovations are taking place. The work is expected to be carried out within the next 12 to 24 months.

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Damien added: "We are expecting another busy summer season at Clifton Park and so we can start work imminently on the car park once finance is in place to meet the immediate need to accommodate a large number of visitors to the park. Meanwhile, as the tennis courts is a much larger project, we will continue to work with our external funders to progress the scheme."

The Council is in discussion with the Lawn Tennis Association and members of the Rotherham Tennis network about how to best manage the transition and look to provide other tennis improvements for Rotherham's residents.

Paul Sheard, Regional Tennis Participation Manager, of the Lawn Tennis Association, said: "The Lawn Tennis Association is supportive of the plan to relocate the tennis courts. The proposed project will provide an additional tennis court, as well as new flood-lighting on all courts which will help ensure that tennis playing opportunities are available throughout the year. The Lawn Tennis Association is working in partnership with Rotherham Council and Parks Tennis CIC to make tennis more accessible and provide programmes that will take the sport to a new audience in Rotherham."

On the edge of Rotherham town centre, the park was once again voted one of the public's favourites in the 2017 People's Choice contest. For the second year running, the popular park was one of just ten in the whole of the UK, and the only one in Yorkshire, to be successful in the awards run by Keep Britain Tidy.

Attracting over 100,000 visitors a year, Clifton Park Museum highlights the history of the borough. Also a location for wedding ceremonies and events, the museum is in the former Clifton House, built between 1783 and 1784 for Joshua Walker, of the Walker Iron & Steel Works of Masborough, and designed by local architect John Carr.